Suicide Island
by ArtfulSunGodJustified
Summary: Luffy is injured. In need of help for their captain, the crew sets shore on a mysterious island. They do all they can to protect their friend, but, when things go from bad to worse, will they be forced to leave Luffy behind?
1. Chapter 1: Strong Captian

**Okay, this is probably the best anime in the galaxy. I just wanna start out by saying that my little gay boy heart is a firm believer in the shipping of ZoLu. And, it may just be me, but it seems like every time Luffy gets into a serious fight where he gets some serious wounds that would bring others concern, its like every one is there _except_ for Zoro! He's always either hopelessly lost, asleep, or helping someone else when his captain is hurt. I've watched the anime, English and Japanese. I've read the manga and I strongly feel that if Zoro were there for those many times when Luffy's life was at stake, or he was hurting beyond belief, the swordsman would be flipping his shit. And it's so obvious that he would be too. There are more than a few occasions when he was more than happy to put himself at serious risk for the sake of his captain. Especially in the manga when he's always making sure the younger is okay and he's always checking up on him XD so cute! If you're a ZoSan fan. Just leave. There will be none of that here. But anyway this is a dream I had the other night. Thought I'd share it with my fellow fangirls/boys. :)**

* * *

The night was deep and the moon loomed overhead in the misty black sky. It's bright, yet soft glow casting the island ahead of them in an eerie silhouette. The air was thick and the nerves of the Straw-hat crew were fried enough as it was. The _last_ thing they needed right now was a surprise attack from this mysterious island they were blindly headed to. The whole crew could hardly breathe the air with how humid and thick it was. Though, despite the warmth of the late night air, they all felt chills of anxiety running up their backs at the atmosphere radiating from the land ahead. They all looked to the second in command, who stood in front of the helm over the deck, with crossed arms and the stone hard expression of a warrior.

The first mate could feel it too. His intuition screaming at him to turn around and take their chances with sailing to another island. But he knew they didn't have that kind of time. Their captain didn't have that kind of time. He ignored the gnawing feeling that something wasn't right about this; pushing it away and giving a curt nod that they were docking at this island.

With leery expressions and movements, the members out on deck began moving around to prepare for landing the Merry onto the shore of the coming up land mass. Zoro, the current leader of the crew's actions, turned away from the deck, feeling his work was done. He opened the door to the helm and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as he entered. Chopper looked up at him briefly, just to let the swordsman know that he acknowledged the mans presence, before going back to work on grounding a few herbs together. The greenette didn't notice anyway.

"How's he doing?" Zoro asked, not moving from his spot at the door. His silvery gray eyes kept locked onto the captain who lay sleeping on the table, surrounded in blankets and pillows to add a little comfort to the long ride of a constantly rocking and jerking ship.

"Not very good." Chopper answered, setting the medical grinding tools down in his little reindeer lap. "He needs advanced treatment... and medication that we don't have." He paused, scratching one of his furry ears with a trembling hoof. "Are we almost at the island?" The doctor asked, looking up at the first mate with exhausted worry.

"Yeah. We'll be there in an hour or so." Zoro answered, walking toward the table where his wounded friend rested quietly. "Why don't you go walk around for a bit. I can watch him." The greenette offered. Chopper looked up at him, then back down at the ground plants that he began grinding up again with a quicker pace.

"No. He's in critical condition. If I were away for too long and something were to-"

"If anything happens I'll call for you." The swordsman reasoned, leaning up against the table. Chopper gazed into his eyes for a while, as if making sure it wasn't a lie, then tentatively climbed down from his seat at the table with a sigh. Before he left, he turned back around to Zoro.

"Are you sure?" The reindeer asked, wanting to be positive that the man knew what he was doing.

"I'm sure." He stated. With that last push, Chopper was out the door and heading off somewhere to take a break.

Zoro took Chopper's previous place at the table and propped his head up in his palm. Luffy laid out in front of him, quiet and still. It was unsettling to see his captain so silent. Unsettling to see him so motionless and vulnerable. The second in command had seen the younger teen take a nap before, or sleep like a rock, but, even then, it was like he was still bursting at the seems with energy. Now he was _lifeless_, like a frail, torn doll, put up on a shelf for repair. Zoro grit his teeth.

_'If only I had been there.' _He thought to himself. _'If only I had stayed by his side instead of wondering off like an idiot.' _He was being too hard on himself and he knew it. Anyone else could have been with Luffy at the time except for him but they weren't. They were all out doing their own thing in the last town. All happy to be ashore again for the first time in, what seemed like, weeks. How would they have known that they were being tailed by a bounty hunter after their captain's head? How could they have known that he would catch the man they all respected so much off guard and wound him so badly? What could any of them have done to prevent this? But still he blamed himself. What kind of crew member was he if he couldn't even protect his captain? What kind of _friend_ was he?

His lost stare never left the youngers face, but he didn't fully register his friend's scrunch of the nose and toss of his head until hazy, half lidded, brown eyes opened slightly to take in the sight of his surroundings. Almost fully dilated pupils focused on the green haired man beside him and a wide smile broke out across his face at the sight of his friend.

"Hi, Zoro." The raven teen managed to choke out. "What's up?" The swordsman's mouth fell open a fraction and his eyes widened. It had been weeks since the last time Luffy regained consciousness. Chopper said it was for the best because it meant his body was trying to heal itself. And with all the blood loss he had endured, and the gaping wounds he'd received, they were all told not to disturb the slumbering captain, no matter what the circumstances. And now here he was, speaking with open eyes and one of those big goofy grins that the ship and it's crew had missed so much. Himself included.

He was about to hall for Chopper, but before he could Luffy started forcing himself up until he was hissing at the reopening of his wounds, and the dizziness caused by his quick movement.

"No, Luffy!" Zoro almost yelled, standing up and carefully pushing the raven's shoulders back down onto the makeshift bedding. "Don't move around too much, you'll just start bleeding again." He growled in that tone of his that Luffy knew was more from worry than anything else. Luffy laid there for a little bit, rubbing his aching head with a grimace.

"Where's my hat?" His hoarse voice cracked out of his throat in a scratchy, painful sounding way. Zoro, now sure that his captain wasn't planning on getting up again, reached over his torso and grabbed the younger's beloved straw hat. He handed it over with a slight smirk and a dry chuckle.

"Two weeks under a coma and the first thing you ask for is your hat." But he knew it wasn't funny. It was appeasing that the noirette still had his priorities straight. The kid's hat as everything to him, and if he had asked for anything else first, the swordsman might have been a little concerned.

Luffy clutched the hat with bandaged fingers and sat it on his gaws wrapped chest that heaved with every parched breath.

"Hay." The raven rasped, turning his head back to his friend. "I want some water." Right, right. Of course. Zoro stood up again from the table and walked over to the kitchen portion of the helm to fill a glass up with chilly cool water. When he returned to Luffy's side the teen grabbed it away and started gulping it down mercilessly. He spluttered and coughed though when a swallow went down the wrong pipe. Zoro took the water away and propped Luffy up slightly to help the water go down better. He groaned in irritation, but ultimately felt a bit panicked for his injured friend.

"Go easy on it. Don't need you drowning right after waking up." Luffy stopped coughing and smiled a little. Not as big as the other one, but defiantly brighter than the last.

"Zoro.." Luffy trailed off, looking up at him in that oblivious, yet so wise look that only he could pull off. "Thanks for looking after everyone while I was out." He muttered weakly. His voice was less scratchy but still deeply tired. "Sorry to put all the pressure on you like that. I was careless and didn't see the guy coming. My bad." Zoro let the younger lay back down and actually took a good, long, look at him. His hair was a mess, and he was littered in gashes and cuts. He could bounce a bullet back off of his flesh without a mark, but somehow managed to gain a bruise or two from a few human punches. This wasn't Luffy's fault. It was his for not being there to help him. But he couldn't say that.

"Don't worry about it." Zoro said, lifting the blanket back over him. "Just go back to sleep."

"You're worrying about it." The captain muttered, each syllable falling from his mouth like a weight on his tongue in his drowsy state. "You've got those sleepless bruises under your eyes..."

_'Sleepless bruises?'_

"What?"

"You know..." Luffy said, flipping his free hand about as if it would magically make his green headed friend understand what he meant. "Those bruise thingies you get under your eyes when you don't sleep enough."

"You mean insomnia circles?" Zoro asked, brow arched in skepticism.

"Yeah, that.." Luffy thought they were there from stress. And they were, but not for the same reason that the young captain thought. He thought it was stress from the responsibility. He had no idea how many nights of those two weeks that Zoro spent sleeplessly sitting at his side. Just waiting for the impossible, terrifying second when Chopper announced that the future Pirate King was gone. Everyone had the same _sleepless_ _bruises_, because, even though he knew Luffy was going to pull through this, he wasn't alone in that sliver of fear that maybe it was over for their friend. But he let the poor fool believe what he wanted, because if he knew that everyone, including his first mate, were all strung out because of his current condition, he would feel terrible. And Zoro didn't want that.

Luffy knew he wasn't doing too good, but he also knew he was going to beat the shit out of these injuries and regain his strength. He just didn't know how long it would take. Too tired to be dead set on getting better right that second, he closed his glazed dark chocolate eyes, and just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

Zoro's eyes widened, and his brow shot up as his best friend lifted his precious hat from his chest with an unsteady hand, and placed it crookedly on the greenette's head to where it blocked his silvery eyes from view.

"Sorry, Zoro. Just a little longer is all I need..." The raven's voice faded off into a whisper. It was a statement and an action meant as a reassurance. _'Be strong. I'll be better soon.'_ And that was exactly what Zoro needed to hear.

Readjusting the hat on his head with a soft smile, Zoro then crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down for a much needed nap. Because now he could truly be strong enough to be patient, and know, without that sliver of doubt, that his friend was going to fight his way through this, like he always did. Now he had the strength, because his captain requested it.

* * *

The ship washed up onto he shore of grainy white sand, coming to a halt as Usopp dropped the anchor into the shallow water. The sun was a long way from rising, and Robin and Chopper were making sure the ship was steady enough in its place. They didn't need it falling onto it's side and busting up the already damaged caravel.

Sanji entered the helm, sent by chopper to check on Luffy, though he was going to anyway, having been asked to or not. Standing in the open door, he looked in on the sleeping form of his rival, hunched over on his crossed arms with the wounded captain's hat resting on his head. Huffing a small laugh at the sight, Sanji entered the room and came to stand beside the sleeping swordsman. He took a moment to take in the youngest's condition. He was sleeping still, but looked more subconsciously conflicted than he had for the last two weeks of this painfully drawn out coma like state. Sanji forced himself to look away from his captain and down at the first mate of the crew, napping soundly like there wasn't a problem for him in the whole world. He retracted one of his hands from his pockets and nudged the greenette awake.

Zoro sat up in a stretch with a yawn, then looked up at the cook from where he sat. His aggravated gaze peered up at Sanji from beyond the rim of the straw hat on his head.

"What do you want?" The swordsman grumbled, a little pissed that he'd been woken up from his sleep. At least he got about a good hour and a half in. Sanji clicked his tongue in frustration at the younger male's immediate angering tone.

"We've reached the island." The blonde shot back. "Should we head out tonight to search for supplies, or should we wait until morning?" Though Sanji hated to ask for the mosshead's choice on the matter, he knew it had to be done. He also knew what answer he would receive.

"We wait 'til morning. We don't know what kind of island this is or what all inhabits it. Our safest bet is to put it off until daylight is on our side." And that is almost exactly along the lines of what he expected from the swordsman. Levelheaded, almost _calm_ even, when everything was at it's worst. He may not get along with Zoro, but the man knew what was best for the crew, and what was best for their captain. Sanji could trust his judgment on matters like this.

"Better go tell everyone what the plan is then." The cook said. He watched as the greenette stood from the table and sauntered over to the door, ready to tell the crew what their course of action was. The door was shut behind him as he left, and Sanji took the cigarette from his mouth, exhaling the intake of smoke from between his parted lips with a sigh. He rubbed his blonde head in stress and looked back down wearily at his friend, asleep, on the table.

Just the sight of the younger made his chest tighten. It was so pitiful seeing him this way. Luffy was his first real friend. The only other person in the world, besides that shitty, old geezer, Zeff, who actually listened to his dreams and understood him. The raven teen had saved his life on more than one occasion, and Sanji had done the same for him. He had saved Sanji's old home, The Baratie, and, with his persistence and enthusiasm, eventually became his new home. His captain had not laughed in his face at his ambition, but instead nurtured it, and fed it to grow stronger and brighter. Luffy was more than a friend. He was Sanji's _best _friend. Sanji had come to foolishly believe after all of the fights, and all of the impossible things they had done together, Luffy had become invincible to the world and every threatening thing in it. That idiotic overestimation of his friend came crashing down around him the moment he fought off that bounty hunter and kneeled beside the man he had thought to be practically immortal. Bleeding and dying, the raven managed to still smile up at him in, what Sanji could only imagine to be, overwhelming pain. A sword through the side is a hard thing to come back from. He remembered the words that fell from Luffy's mouth clearly in his head.

"Sorry, Sanji. He snuck up on me.."

Not long after that the crowd hovering around them had drawn the attention of their other friends. First came Nami and Robin. His poor, beautiful girls shouldn't have had to see that. Their captain laying, panting, and grasping onto life desperately. Robin rushed over to them, grabbing Luffy's face, as he lay in Sanji's arms, and shushing him soothingly. Nami could only stand in the crowd, hands over her mouth in shock. Chopper and Usopp found us next. The little reindeer doctor spoke franticly of what we needed to do and had Usopp and Nami go off to the ship and bring supplies back since they couldn't move him in that state. It seemed like an hour until they were back with Chopper's things. They removed Luffy's red vest for better access to the more serious wounds. Sanji was grateful it was red, because if it had been any other color the blood would have been so much more harsh to the eyes than it already was. Chopper's hooves, and Robins hands were slick with vibrant crimson blood, while most of Sanji's torso was soaked in it. He felt so helpless. With Robin calming the youngest of the crew as he gnawed on his bottom lip in pain, and the other two helping Chopper, all Sanji could do was kneel on the ground and hold his captain upright to be bandaged.

Then Zoro found them. After a stumbling explanation of what happened, and a point at the now conscious bounty hunter crawling away for his life, the first mate charged onward in a flurry or rage. Needless to say, he left a lot of blood for the island folk to clean from their cobble stone road ways. The bounty hunter didn't make it. But that helped nothing. None of them felt any satisfaction from the demise of their dear captain's attacker. And it definitely didn't restore things back to how they were. Zoro picked up Luffy's hat from the middle of the street, and walked over to the group, placing the hat on his best friend's dizzy head. He remembered how Luffy smiled up at the greenette, muttering out a small, crackling "Thanks..." before passing out.

Sanji snapped out of his thoughts, still gazing down at the teen resting on the table beside him. He lifted his hand from his side, carding his long fingers through soft obsidian hair. It hurt to see his friend like this. It hurt that he couldn't do anything to fix it. He just had to let Luffy, and Chopper handle it themselves. But he had the utmost faith in Luffy, and knew his recovery would happen. He may not be invincible, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be taken down by some _cowardly b__ounty hunter_ of all things.

"Don't worry, Captain." Sanji mumbled more to himself then his unconscious friend. "You'll make it through this. Nothing can keep _you_ down for long." Then he removed his hand from Luffy's hair and placed it back in his pocket, turning into the kitchen to start dinner for everyone. Maybe _tonight_ he would wake up to the smell of seasoned meat and soup from his coma induced starvation.

* * *

Zoro looked out from the railing, outside the helm door, down to the rest of the crew on the deck. He would make the announcement brief, so that he could go back to the table to resume his nap. With a loud clear of the throat his fellow crew members looked up from whatever they were doing to give the first mate their full attention.

"As soon as the sun rises we head out in groups to search the island." He said, arms crossed in his authoritative command. "There will be three groups. Teem one will hunt for food. Teem two will search for supplies we may need to fix up the Merry. The third will look for anything that could be used to help Chopper get Luffy back on his feet." Zoro felt their eyes on him uneasily. Like they were looking at him differently. He tilted the rim of his best friend's straw hat up so the crew could see his eyes. They all looked up at him with new found determination and hope, like their spirits had been dehydrated and he had just gave them each a gallon of ice cold water to quench their thirsts. The four of them smiled as Usopp, Chopper, and even Robin called out.

_"Aye aye, Captain." _

"Don't call me that." Zoro said, turning around and opening the door to the helm. "I'm not our captain." He shut the door behind himself as he tiredly walked over to his previous spot at the table. While plopping himself down he accidently laid his straw hatted head down on one of Luffy's pale arms. He doubted his friend minded, so he didn't bother moving.

Sanji twisted his blonde head around to see the captain and first mate sound asleep at the table again. He wanted to wake up that mentally challenged moss-head again, and kick him out of his kitchen to go do something more productive, like_ die in a ditch_, for example. He chose against it though. The cook walked over to the table and contemplated removing Luffy's hat from The first mate's head and placing it at the raven captain's side where it belonged. He decided against that too, though, knowing the greenette would snap awake the second the slightest threatening touch fell upon his friend's precious hat. And Sanji would probably have a sprained wrist for a few days, or some kind of cooking disabled injury. He looked down at the second in command, almost having to suppress a smile at the burly, ass kicking, rock of a man who's tan cheek was smooshed slightly against their captain's pale forearm. It was amusing to see Zoro so cuddly. But, then again, it was depressing. Sanji was hurt enough by the condition of their friend, but he could only imagine how the swordsman must feel. Staring down at the most important person in your life as they lay dying in front of you, and not being able to help. Only being able to hope that the small pirate's next intake of breath wouldn't be his last. It must be excruciating, because Zoro was a fighter, and there was nothing here to fight away. No physical enemy to slice up and cut down. There were only the wounds and injuries that where too painful to look at, and too serious to look away from.

Actually, he _couldn't_ imagine what Zoro was going through. Watching from the sidelines as his savior and best friend fought on against yet another omnipotent tyranny. They all knew how that felt. Useless. Helpless. Weak. But Luffy was more than that to Zoro. It was never said aloud, but the two had a sort of special connection that none of the other members of the crew could ever hope to establish with their captain. It was never said how coincidental it was that every time the captain fell from the ship and into the roaring tides below, Zoro was always the first to jump in after him. It was hardly ever noticed anymore how the greenette would carry on a conversation with someone and subconsciously dump a few helpings of even his favorite foods onto Luffy's plate, making the ebony haired teen's deep brown eyes sparkle in delight. They understood each other without words, because what words could possibly be used to express the vast extent of feelings toward someone else? Zoro could be expected to stay collective and levelheaded in rough times like these, but when those rough times involved the wellbeing of their little scar faced friend, he couldn't help but fall apart like this.

The chef watched as the swordsman shifted, nuzzling his cheek more comfortably into Luffy's arm. Then the blonde turned back around and went back to his cooking. He couldn't bring himself to separate them at times like these. Because, even if the moss-head was disturbing him with his very presence, those two idiots were made for each other, and he wasn't going to tamper with a vulnerable Zoro and a weakened Luffy. Not tonight, or any other night when that connection they had was threatened, and they just needed to be around each other for a while. Because, like he said, those two idiots were made for each other, and who was he to take the last remaining comfort from this tragic situation?

* * *

**So... yep. Tell me what you think, friends. ASGJ out.**


	2. Chapter 2: Dying Captain

**Chapter 2 :) yay! Thank you for the reviews! And the corrections on my spelling errors. :/ its hard being a writer who can't spell for his soul. **

* * *

The fallowing morning the crew rose at dawn. They were ready to be separated off into groups, and sent out to search for whatever it was they needed for their journey to the next island. Everyone had their lunches from Sanji packed, and backpacks for carrying supplies, food, or whatever they found that they considered valuable and up for the taking. They all stood out on the beach, waiting for Zoro and Chopper to join them and give instructions. They were eager to go already, sun just barely being over the horizon as they stood in the sand.

Nami and Usopp, with their impatient natures, shuffled their feet in the dry sand of the beach. They would pace back and forth or tap their feet during the agonizingly long wait while Robin and Sanji stood calmly in one spot. The two calm pirates carried on a civil conversation as the other two mumbled on about how long it was taking and how they didn't have time to wait. Occasionally, Sanji would swoon over Nami's pouting and grumbling, dubbing it adorable. And though Robin kept her composure in this desperate time, like a true goddess, he knew she was struggling not to show worry for their captain. But it didn't really matter what they were doing, because weather they were laughing at a joke to keep them occupied, or screaming for the two missing members to hurry the hell up, they were still standing on that beach instead of searching for a cure for their friend.

...

Inside the helm were the two crew members that were being waited on not so patiently. Chopper was rebandaging Luffy's wounds, needing Zoro's help to hold their friend up for the bandaging process. But Zoro would have been there anyway, needed, or not. Luffy's head was rested against his first mate's shoulder as the greenette held him up for their doctor's convenience. As Chopper unwrapped the bandages around Luffy's abdomen the raven pirate would grimace, and scrunch up his nose in his sleep. The swordsman wanted to grimace too at the sight of half clotted blood clinging to the filthy bandages as they were slowly unraveled from his thin lower torso. The dirtied cloth, that had served as a barrier between near fatal wounds and the outside air, now being pulled away, tearing newly formed scabs and oozing infection from the gaping wound with it as it went. If Chopper didn't have experience with these things, and Zoro didn't have the stomach of a rock, they would both be gaging and heaving at the sickeningly grotesque hole staring back at them from their captain's side. But they were alright. They couldn't be weakened from the wound, because it wasn't theirs to carry. They weren't the ones stabbed through the side and left to slowly bleed out through the open wound that was left to fester and rot, with the effects the earth had on things that were beginning to die.

Chopper dabbed at the infected area of the injury with an alcohol soaked rag, cleaning away as much of the grime as he could without irritating the wound. The stinging liquid burned at Luffy's skin, making him unconsciously whine and toss his head at the pain. It was the part at the surface where the bounty hunter's sword had peeled the skin away from being twisted in the wound in a wide, circling range. Zoro half wished he hadn't killed that bastard, just so he could hunt the man down and kill him again. It wouldn't help, like it hadn't the first time he did it. But it would give him something to unleash his anger on. The anger that flared up inside whenever he saw his friend in legitimate pain. Zoro wondered briefly, had he not joined the boy's crew, if he would have eventually tried to kill Luffy too. He pushed that thought away with a small twitch of an eye, and replaced the unthinkable notion with the many other wounds that his friend had gained in the ambush.

Luffy had bandages around his arms, hands, neck, and also a few down his legs. Those injuries were minor though, or at least not as bad as the one that the reindeer was currently working with. They were deep cuts, but nothing serious enough to be life threatening. Chopper had undone the gaws around Luffy's torso, and cleaned what parts of the wound he could, before rewrapping it with a clean roll of bandages. The small doctor finished and nodded at Zoro to go ahead and lay the boy back down to continue his sleep. When Luffy was settled back down into his pile of comfortable blankets, and Zoro was sure he hadn't laid his scrawny body down wrong on a random cut or bruise, he turned to Chopper to discuss the raven's condition.

"If his wounds don't close up then he'll bleed to death, or the infection will get into his bloodstream, and kill him from the inside." Chopper diagnosed, voice surprisingly calm and cold. He had put himself in the mindset that Luffy was just another patient. Not his captain, and definitely not his friend. Detachment made it easier to deal with for him, Zoro guessed.

"What do we do to stop it?" Zoro asked, keeping the urgentness out of his voice.

"We can't do anything." Chopper stated, folding his hooves together and looking down at the floor. "If we can't find anything on the island that I can identify as medically useable, then were out of hope." Now he could see the sadness creeping into the small animal's dough brown eyes. The glistening of tears began to well up in Chopper's brown orbs, and Zoro's shoulders straightened. He stood from his place at the table and looked down at the reindeer, one tan arm propped up on the handles of his three katanas in that strong, prideful stance he had mastered so well.

"Then let's go out and start looking." The first mate said. "He's not gunna get any better with us just standing around like a bunch of idiots." Chopper bit his bottom lip, and nodded, wiping his tears away with his arms. Then he stood up from his spot and clopped out the door, ready to go out into the new island and see what they could find to help the captain. Zoro stayed behind for a moment longer, gaze lingering on his wounded friend in worry that was quickly replaced by determination. Luffy wouldn't die from this. He said he would overcome this obstacle, like he did everything else. He just needed some time, and a little help. After all, he couldn't die now. He hasn't become the Pirate King yet.

Zoro adjusted Luffy's straw hat on his head, and turned away from his resting friend to walk to the door. He exited the helm, and went down the stairs onto the deck to look down at his crewmates, waiting for him on the beach. Zoro smirked down at them, eyes hidden from below the rim of the hat Luffy had temporarily entrusted to him.

"Let's get this over with. I want to be done searching for what we need, and back to the ship by dinner." The first mate shouted.

* * *

Zoro had separated them all up, though there was a change in plans with the groups. Originally, it was going to be Chopper, and Robin searching for herbs, or any other medical flora they could find, since they were the two most likely to know what kind of plants could be identified as medicinal. Next would be Nami, and Usopp looking for supplies for ship repairs. Then Sanji, and himself hunting for food. However, there was a shipwreck of plywood and recyclable timber that they could use, so Usopp, and Nami just gathered what they needed from the run down, beached ship, and returned to the Merry for Usopp to start repairs. Also, it was a good thing for someone to be there to keep an eye on Luffy. Even if he was unconscious, one never really knew what he could get into while left alone for elongated periods of time.

Nami spent the rest of her day checking up on Luffy, and sketching an island with a few doodles of beli, and oranges, and her sister and mother. It was times like these, when she was left to herself, that Nami wished she could contact Nojiko. Just to tell her how much she missed her, and everyone else in the village.

Usopp fixed holes, and small breaks and cracks here and there on the ship, looking in on Luffy when he passed the helm, just to make sure his friend was still breathing. Then he would go right back to work on the Merry to ensure she was well taken care of.

...

Sanji and Zoro had turned their hunting into a game. Whoever caught the most meaty looking animal won, but, so far, all they came across was a bunch of fruit and vegetables. The farther they traveled into the forest that made up the island, the more they expected to see a bear, or at least a squirrel. But the deeper they traversed, the more they gained the feeling that if there were any animals on this island, they were all nocturnal. And it got stranger. Fruits, and other plants grew in different colors then they usually did. They came across purple bananas, green oranges, and some funny looking white grapes. Zoro was all for bringing the discolored food back to the ship to eat, but Sanji didn't want to risk it. They had enough food to last them a while since Luffy hadn't been awake to eat the amount he normally did; that would take a regular person over a year to finish. So they really wouldn't need any food. Not for a while, at least. The thought of feeding his crewmates possibly poisonous foods sent a small wave of nausea through the cook. Shaking his head, he followed the direction impaired idiot ahead of him into the opposite direction they agreed on heading.

"Hey, Lamebrain! You're going the wrong way!"

...

Robin followed Chopper through the tall grass and weeds of the forest they traveled in. Both looking around for the type of place where an herb may be growing, or maybe a village that inhabited the island. They too noticed the strange shades and hues of the plantation around them. The grass and leaves of most things were still green, but some small trees and other vines and shrubs were colored differently than presumed normal. They searched the island from top to bottom, scanning the area for anything that would help in their dire situation. They ended up looking for hours, finally coming into a clearing they had passed a few times in their search. The sun was beginning to set, and, with the slightly dimmed light of day that lit the field, they spotted a patch of something that grew in the shade under a tree. Chopper ran over, recognizing the characteristics of the plant immediately from the many herbal medicine books he had studied and memorized. Robin trailed quietly behind, internally excited that they may have found something that could help Luffy in his recovery.

The scuttling reindeer, once across the field, came to a stop at the edge of the patch. He got down onto his knees to examine them more closely. They turned out to be just what he had thought they were. Roselle Hibiscus flowers. They are a species of Hibiscus used for the healing qualities of it's flowers. The wood-based subshrub could grow up to about 7 or 8 feet tall. The leaves were deeply three to five lobed, and grew to be 3 to 6 inches long, arranged alternately on the stems. The blooms were 3 to 4 inches in diameter. It's flowers were usually white to pale yellow with a dark red spot at the base of each petal.

Chopper had no doubt in his mind that this was the medicinal herb they had been searching for, but the color was all wrong. Instead of it's usual white to yellow to red, it was shaded with more cooler colors. The edges started with a vibrant, yet powdery blue that almost seemed to sparkle like the dust of a pixy. Then it faded into violet, replacing pale yellow at mid petal, and down to the base of the plant where it was splotched with black instead of red. Chopper was a bit questionable about the plant, because one slight mistake in any plant used for medical purposes could result in poisoning instead of healing. The doctor didn't want to take the risk, but what choice did they have? Whether Luffy took in a poisonous plant, or died from his left alone injuries, he was dying all the same. So, with that thought, Chopper began plucking the flowers from their stems, and sticking them in a small metal jar he'd fished from his backpack. After collecting twenty or so of the buds and blooms, the reindeer screwed the lid of the jar on tightly, placing it back in his backpack before nodding to Robin that they could head back now.

* * *

The sun was setting now as the two groups that were out in the forest came out of the depths of the woods, and onto the white sand of the beach where their ship and three other members waited for them patiently. Sanji grumbled absentmindedly about _'green headed morons'_ and _'direction sense of a beached jellyfish' _Then one uncovered sapphire eye landed on Robin, who was also walking out onto the beach, and immediately let his anger fly away with his dignity.

"Hello, my gorgeous, darling, Robin!" The blonde shouted, half finished cigarette almost falling from his mouth as he ran over to her and Chopper. They continued walking back to the ship as Robin greeted the flamboyant chef politely.

"Hello, cook." She replied with an elegant smile. "The doctor has found a remedy for our captain's current declined health." She stated, gesturing to the small reindeer that walked just ahead of them. Sanji's eyes widened considerably, or, at least the one they could see, as his smile broadened across his face at her words.

"Chopper, that's great!" The cook cheered, stopping to let Robin climb the ramp to come aboard the ship before him. Ladies first. He then followed her and the doctor up the ramp to stand on the deck. He was going to go greet the ever lovely Nami and offer the ladies a snack, but he was stopped with Chopper's voice.

"Sanji, do you think you can help me with this?" Chopper called to him as he clopped up the stairs with his little hoofed feet.

"Help with what?" Sanji asked, fallowing behind him up the stairs and into the helm where Zoro had already made his place at the table. Chopper took off his backpack, feeling the curious eyes of the two other males on him as he pawed around inside for the jar he had stored the Hibiscus flowers in. When he had it between his hooves, he pulled it out and walked over to Sanji, unscrewing the lid as he did so.

"Can you boil the petals and leaves of these flowers? I'd do it myself, but the last time I touched your cooking stuff I accidently broke something, and you got really mad at Luffy because he took the blame." Chopper said innocently, holding up the jar as high as he could so that the cook could see the flowers inside. Sanji smiled at the little doctor, breathing out a breath of nicotine laced smoke as he reached down and carefully took the jar from tiny reindeer hands.

"Of course I can." Sanji said with a small chuckle, tilting the jar until two flowers and a leaf fell out into the palm of his hand. "Are these what's going to make Luffy better?" The blonde asked, earning the attention of the first mate who was now fully tuned into the conversation.

"They should. If the color is just a side effect of where the plant is grown, then they should have the same healing properties that the original colored plant does. But if not..." Chopper trailed off, not wanting to say what awful fate could be awaiting their dear, wounded friend.

"Let's just hope they do, then." Sanji smirked, turning to fill a pot with water to begin boiling the plants, as requested.

...

As Chopper and Sanji worked with plucking the pedals form the herbal flowers, and throwing them into the pot of pre-boiled water, Zoro and Robin sat quietly at the table. The crew didn't have much else to do other than worry about the well being of their captain, so the majority of the five of them sat in the helm, keeping an eye on their friend. Usopp was off fixing another part of the ship that had been recently discovered to be broken, and Nami was turning in early tonight, claiming she had a headache.

Zoro rested, hunched over on his elbows, as he blankly gazed down at Luffy, still remaining dead to the world. He absentmindedly twiddled his fingers around a lose, wayward piece of straw at the rim of the ravens hat. He hadn't taken the hat off all day, and he wouldn't, as long as their captain wasn't awake to take it back. It was a special thing to be trusted with his best friend's most prized possession. Entrusting it to someone else, or, let alone, letting it out of his sight was nothing less then complete blasphemy. So he kept it on, protecting it like it was Luffy's very soul he held onto. Like all the remaining life the raven had left in him was manifested in the hat that sat atop Zoro's green head. The rim cast a light shadow over his silvery eyes. Dark enough to be considered a shadow, and light enough for Robin to see the dullness of those eyes as they stared off, lost in thought.

Robin just smiled at the dedication the first mate always seemed to possess toward the child before them, and went back to her book. It was a story of adventure. A wanted fugitive boy and the prince of the country running away together to a place where the one wouldn't be constantly under the pressures of the throne, and the other wouldn't be condemned to execution. The prince followed the fugitive like a lamb to a shepherd, and protected him like a wolf would watch over it's cub. She had just passed the part where the runaway prince lost his mind and killed a nobleman's son for 'looking at them weird' when the teen beside her shifted, laying his head down on crossed arms and looking up at her in board curiosity.

"What kind of book are you so enthralled in?" He asked, eying the hard black cover with three silver swords stabbing through a candy red heart. The cover originated from the tarot card 'Three of Swords' which meant loneliness and suffering. It foreshadowed the contents of the story quite nicely if she did say so herself. But she had to admit, the greenette beside her must have been fairly desperate if he was turning for a book to keep his mind off his friend. No matter how interesting the story was.

"It's called _Lion Heart_." She said, placing the book down on the table and giving Zoro a smile. "A prince befriends a street rat, and hearing of the boys impending execution, they run away together." She explained politely, happy that she could share her love of books with someone, even if it were to only last a second or so. Zoro nodded for her to go on. "The prince takes care of them, hunting food and fighting off enemies, while the other finds them shelter as they travel place to place. Later, though, the fugitive child starts to slowly grow sick as the prince begins to lose his mind. The prince becomes blood thirsty, and, with his dreadful condition of schizophrenia, and multi personality disorder, comes to believe he's god." She stated, brushing black bangs from her eyes. "I haven't gotten that far yet, but the summary goes on."

"Why is it called Lion Heart? Are there lions involved somewhere?" Zoro asked with a grunt. "Do they hunt lions for food?"

"No." Robin chuckled, enthused that the boy was so interested in her book of all things. "It's called Lion Heart because of the exceptional courage and bravery of these two children, who stand together against a world that wants them dead."

"What's with the swords on the cover?"

"The three swords are the symbol of the kingdom where the prince originated from." Robin explained.

"Why are they stabbing that heart?" Robin chuckled. My, was the swordsman questionable today.

"Because the kingdom is out to destroy the children in fear of an uprising."

"Why?" Zoro grunted inquisitively. With a pleased sigh, Robin marked her page and turned to the back where the summary page was.

"Well, because of the prince's rebellion, and his dream of leading a kingdom without fear and tyranny; combined with his fugitive friend who was born into a family of infamous rebellion leaders, the king fears his descendent will one day overthrow him and take over the kingdom." She said, looking at the greenette from the corner of her eyes. He was now looking back at their captain, chin still resting on his tan, crossed arms.

"Sounds good." He stated curtly. Robin nodded her head.

"Indeed, it is." The two then stopped their conversation for a few minutes, Robin going back to her page as they listened to Chopper chatter on about how the plants should be prepared, and the slow, steady breathing of their unconscious friend. The swordsman kept his eyes on the boy as he mumbled a final question to the woman.

"Does the prince ever become king?" He questioned, voice low and almost inaudible. Robin looked to him with a small half smile, only seeing his slight frown as the rim of Luffy's straw had shielded his face from view.

"I don't know." She stated, not having gotten that far in the story yet. "But with the help of his fugitive companion, he might." Zoro sighed lightly, and, again, they were left in silence.

...

About an hour later the plants were completely finished. Dissolved entirely to become one with the water that had broken it up and melted it down with it's excruciating heat. In spite of his better judgment, Sanji let Chopper handle finishing it while he busied himself in making dinner for the rest of the crew. When a happy, and somewhat anxious shout came from the doctor, Sanji discarded the pasta he was making; looking over to see what Chopper was shouting about.

"It's done!" Chopper exclaimed as the cook bent down to see into the pot of, what looked to be, a blackish- purple ooze.

"Is it supposed to look like shit?" Sanji asked, eye narrowed at the appalling sludge.

"It's supposed to be a tanish-red color, but, since the color of the plant is different from how it's supposed to be, it turned out like this." The reindeer explained with a slight frown. "I hope it still works the same." Leaving the conversation at that, Sanji went back to his cooking.

...

He didn't say anything, nor did anyone else about the risk they were taking with the plants of this abandoned island. Usopp had tried, but was shot down with the retort that, either way, Luffy would die. They opted to eat their dinner somewhere else for the night, not wanting to stay in the kitchen long enough to see their captain's wounds revealed as they ate.

Sanji stayed at the table, placing his plate in his lap as he watched Chopper take the, now cooled, pot out of the fridge and over to the table beside him. With one hand, Sanji helped the small doctor lift the pot onto the table so he could climb up into the seat without spilling it. Zoro stayed in the kitchen too, but didn't eat, not minding the growl of hunger from his gut. He watching as Chopper crawled onto the table top and paused, looking down at the bandages that covered the infected wound that they'd just bandaged up this morning. Chopper gulped audibly, hooves hovering over the bandages tentatively.

"What if it doesn't work?" The reindeer asked, voice shaking with nervousness. "What if it's poison and it kills him? What would we do? What would happen to us?" Sanji set his plate down in the spot beside him with a sigh.

"If it get's to that-"

"Which it won't." Zoro interrupted with a scowl.

"Which it won't." The blonde reassured. "But if it did happen, then we'd figure out what to do when that time comes." Chopper looked at the cook, brow sunk down and bottom lip quivering slightly.

"Okay..." The doctor said, wiping away his tears and sucking in a deep breath. He looked back down at the task in front of him, a new light of determination in his eyes. "Okay." His voice took on a stronger tone before nodding at Zoro who nodded back understandingly. The swordsman stood from his spot and sat on the table, lifting Luffy up, very carefully, into a sitting position. Zoro held him up like he had done this morning, and the day before, and the day before that, and the three days before that. Chopper fearlessly took the taped down end of the bandages into his hooves, and began undoing the gaws from around the boy's belly. Once the bandages were unwrapped, Zoro laid their friend back down so Chopper could better access the wound. The tree of them looked into the rotting flesh of the injury and Sanji almost gagged. The smell alone was enough to make Usopp throw up his lunch the other day, and it had only gotten worse since then. Sanji stood from the table and walked across the room to the sink, just incase his stomach couldn't handle it. Zoro put his knuckles up to his nose, but he didn't walk away. He refused to leave his captain's side because of a simple bile wrenching sight, or the smell of the living dead. He sat on the table, not flinching once at his friends injuries, while Sanji took refuge at the other end of the helm and Chopper turned away with a disgusted cough.

The reindeer looked back at Luffy after taking a second to regain his composure. Biting his lip, Chopper stuck a hooved hand into the pot of dark goop, circling it around in the pot before taking it out. His arm was coated in the thick liquid, and, after another deep breath, he smeared the liquid onto Luffy's wound, making sure every part of the entrance end was covered in it. When he was done, Zoro picked the raven up again so Chopper could get to the exit wound that the sword had left in Luffy's back.

"This shit feels disgusting." Zoro stated as his arm accidently brushed the corner of Luffy's wound, taking a bit of dark sludge with it.

"It's supposed to feel like mucus." Chopper said, not taking his attention from the careful work he had been doing.

"That's sick."

"That's how it works." The small doctor retorted. Shortly after that, he finished spreading the ooze into their captain's wounds. Sanji put the left over Hibiscus mud into the fridge as Chopper went to the sink to clean his hooves, leaving Zoro to bandage their friend's wound back up. The greenette's fingers stumbled with the gaws as he multitasked straightening the newest roll of bandages and holding Luffy's limp body up as still as he could. He wrapped the bandages loosely around the raven's torso twice then dropped the roll of gaws, watching it roll down to the floor with a growl. Sanji almost wanted to laugh, but, considering the circumstances, he found it hard to even comprehend the thought of laughter. The blonde quietly strode over to the table and picked up the gaws before sitting on the table with Zoro's front, and Luffy's back facing him.

"Here. Let me help." Sanji commanded, undoing the second wrap of gaws to redo it even tighter. The cook continued wrapping the bandages around their captain's wound, as Zoro held the raven upright, subconsciously resting his chin in Luffy's locks of ebony hair. After they were satisfied that Luffy was well bandaged, Sanji moved to sit at the seats so Zoro could lay the raven back down into his makeshift bed. He covered the younger up with a blanket, and still sat on the edge of the table, watching him as if the medical herb mud would start working immediately, and Luffy would be back up again, running around and laughing like he normally did. But that wasn't going to happen and they all knew it.

"Zoro." Sanji said. Zoro grunted in acknowledgement, but kept his attention firmly locked on Luffy. Sanji knew he was looking at the scar on the raven's face without even having to see the silver-gray eyes that were hidden by the rim of that straw hat. "Zoro, it _is _a possibility that this plant could be poisonous." He said as cautiously as he could to the green haired idiot. "It's possible that he could die from this. You know that, right?"

"No." Zoro stated flatly, leaving no room for argument. But he was talking to Sanji, and Sanji always found even the slightest of room for an argument.

"No? What do you mean 'No'?" The blonde asked, lifting a hand to point to their captain. "He's dying, Zoro. This plant thing _could_ help, or it might _not. _We don't know what's going to happen to him." He explained, putting his arm back down at his side. "I'm just making sure you're ready for what could be the worst."

"No." Zoro stated again, this time firmer. "He's going to get through this. I've seen him go through worse, and he's always made it back unscathed. He's done it before, and he can do it again." Sanji sighed.

"I want him to pull through this too." The older male said, looking to the unconscious pirate and back to Zoro. Then he stood up and walked to the door, turning the knob, but not opening it as he paused to say. "But, you know, he isn't a god. He's a human, just like the rest of us. And, one day, he's going to die, just like us." Then he opened the door, and stepped out next to the railing. he turned around and looked at the swordsman, who still kept his eyes cast toward Luffy. "And none of us are going to be able to stop it." Then the door was closed, and the sound of polished black shoes clopping away filled the room that was left in silence.

Chopper stood in the corner of the room, hooves over his mouth at Sanji's awful words. Why would he say those things? It was unfair of him to push those thought's on someone else. Especially Zoro. Sensing the tension that was left behind in Sanji's place, Chopper carefully trotted over to stand at Zoro's side. The reindeer looked up at the other with big dough brown eyes, and, to his surprise, Zoro smiled.

"Don't worry, Chopper." He said, patting the faded red hat on the doctor's head. "Sanji's just an ass. He didn't mean any of that. He's just worried." Zoro explained, turning to look at Chopper with a smirk. "Luffy's going to make it, and he knows it." Chopper grinned widely, and nodded in agreement. The two sat and watched over their friend until it was time for sleep.

...

Zoro sat, half awake, in the crows nest. The night was cooler than the last, but still warm enough to sweat like a beast. Thick, gray mist blanketed the island, as well as the ship, with it's wide, ominous tendrils. Zoro removed the hat on his head to run a hand through his sweat dampened green hair, then placed the hat back to it's temporary place of belonging. With another sickening breath of humid air, the swordsman decided he needed a drink. He heaved himself up off the floor of the crows nest with a grunt and started climbing down the ladder that lead to the deck. Its not like they were in even the most moderate danger of attack. They'd roamed the deserted island all day without spotting a single sign of life, other than the plants. He figured a minute or two away from watch to grab a beer from the helm wouldn't be the end of the world for them.

Scratching his neck with a yawn, Zoro ascended the stairs to the higher level of the ship. He would be in and out in a second, and back up to the crows nest for the rest of his watch. As he reached for the knob of the door though, he froze. His sudden halt made his body jerk and only the sound of the wind and the chiming of his clattering earrings filled his ears. He wasn't sure why he had stopped, but it was like the temperature had dropped drastically. It was perfectly normal for the temperature to change dramatically in the Grand Line, but it only ever really happened at sea. Not once had they encountered an island that changed it's designated climate like the sea did.

He was no longer sweating from the heat, but from the unknown anxiety as a shiver ran up his spine. His fingers brushed the door knob that seemed cold as ice, and the atmosphere continued to climax into a negative disposition. He could feel the aura emanating from the room before him, like a wave of malice and wickedness crashing to him at 20 miles per hour. A fleeting worry tugged at his stomach, telling him something was wrong with Luffy. Maybe he'd woken up, and was angry about something? But he discarded the thought immediately. Something evil laid on the other side of that door. Something sinister. And that wasn't Luffy.

Zoro grasped the knob of the door tightly, throwing it open to confront whatever was sending out this awful atmosphere. His eyes widened at the table that supported his sleeping captain. The palest stream of moonlight flooded down from the window, illuminating a coal black figure that crouched down over Luffy's injured form. A menacing hand with unnaturally spindly chard fingers reaching out toward his best friend's face like it was searching for something. Instantaneously after the door was opened, the creature spun around showing luminescent white eyes and sending out a screech that reverberated through the room. The sound was like broken glass going through a wood chipper, and it pierced Zoro's eardrums, threatening to make them burst. But he didn't cover his ears. He took a step forward, and the thing crouched even lower, looking like a dog with hind legs that were double jointed and too long for it's body. Zoro watched as it pounced off of the table and crawled across the black floor, blending in with the darkness that surrounded it. The swordsman was ready to fight, but he'd left his swords in the crows nest. It disappeared into the pitch shadows of the room, but the man could still hear it skittering around on the floor at the other end of the room. Pots and pans crashed to the floor in a loud banging that was sure to have woken the others.

Zoro took quick, long strides to the light switch and flicked it on, looking over the room in search of the unwelcome creature that had slipped onto the ship without their notice. But there was nothing there. Luffy was still sleeping, and the floor was littered in the cooking utensils that Sanji would be pissed about here in a while. But there was_ nothing there_. Zoro growled lowly into the empty room. He could still feel the presence of the distorted humanoid figure. The threat was faint, but it was still there. He wanted to hunt it down and catch it before it got to any of the others, but no way in hell was he leaving the most vulnerable of the crew alone after that. He walked to the table and sat at Luffy's side. The others could take care of themselves, but their captain needed him right now.

He hadn't been sitting long before everyone came barreling up onto the deck to investigate the sound that had woken them all from their nightly rest. Zoro heard the rhythm of hurried footsteps closing in on the helm, and then Sanji stood in the doorway, fallowed by everyone else. They panted in panic, ready to head into battle, only to come face to face with a trashed kitchen, and a slightly rattled swordsman hunched over at the captain's bedside.

"What in the hell is going on in here?!" Sanji demanded, referring to the pile of his cookware scattered about the floor. The rest of the crew was silent, waiting for an explanation from the first mate. Zoro only sighed, lifting his head up to look at his friends with silver eyes, narrowed in anger.

"We're not alone on this island." Zoro stated, turning back to Luffy as he paused for a second. "And they've invaded the ship. One just tried to attack Luffy." He grit his teeth at what could have happened if he'd been a minute too late.

"What are you talking about?" Nami asked, pushing her way passed Sanji and into the helm. "You guys have been out all day, and you didn't see any sign of civilization. So how could there be people here?"

"Their not civilized." Zoro said, holding his jaw in his hand as he thought over the image of the thing he'd seen. He could see Luffy perfectly fine in the dim light of the window, but that figure was just a solid silhouette. There was nothing that indicated it had features other than it's shape and the eyes that had no center. "I don't even think they're human."


	3. Chapter 3: Savior Captain

**Chapter 3! :D whoop whoop! Okay, I just want to give a little thanks to FlightWulf for the spelling corrections and suggestions :) I suck major ass at spelling and I just wanted to tell you that I really do appreciate your help on this. So thank you for #1 reading and liking my story. #2 for taking the time out of your day to help me get my shit together XD I try to go back and fix as many mistakes as I can but it's pretty draining to read through the same chapter over 9 times to try and find all of my previous mistakes :| it's a bitch. But anyway. I'm trying to redo the summery because I was getting a few complaints about it. I'll try and fix it, but I'm not really sure how someone can screw up a summery :? And about the title. I will not be changing that. I do agree with you, it's cliché and really awful, but it is actually called _Suicide_ _Island_ for a reason. Not because I wanted some nonsensical bullshit titling my story. I apologize if you find it unappealing or in any way unsatisfying, but that's just how it is :) sorry. _ANYWAY_ on with the chapter! :D**

* * *

"So, run that by me again." Sanji said, holding his half smoked cigarette away from himself with a brow arched in skepticism. "What _exactly_ did you see?"

"I _told_ you, asswipe! I walked into the kitchen, and there was this mangled looking rat-dog-person thing trying to hurt Luffy! How many times do I have to say it?!" Zoro shouted. He was getting _real_ _sick_ of the damned cook, talking to him like a little psychotic child, _real_ _fast_!

"I'm just saying, _shithead_, that what you say you saw-"

"Well_, **I'm **just saying, _that, if I have to explain myself to _your **dumbass **one more time, _I'm kicking you off the ship to sleep in the fucking forest!" Zoro interrupted threateningly. The two went into a brief silence as they locked glares, staring each other down until one of them backed down. Nami sighed.

"Okay, look." She started, stepping semi-between the two before they actually started fighting. "Zoro, we know you're not making this up. We've seen weirder on other islands. But if you saw it, then why didn't you catch it?" The redhead asked, brow arched at him. "I mean, you're not exactly the type to freeze up and watch as some... _thing_ crawls around on the floor, and tries to kill one of your friends."

"Yeah, _dickmouth_! If it was attacking Luffy, then why didn't you kill the damn thing?" Sanji yelled, pissed that the swordsman hadn't even tried to defend their helpless captain.

"It wasn't really _trying _to kill him." Zoro explained, looking down at the floor with a slight shiver, and a shrug. "It was just kneeling over him, looking at him like it was gunna take a bite out of his skull, or some shit. Then it was reaching for his face, and, when I went to go kick the piss out of it, it hissed at me and started crawling around like a stupid crab. Then it disappeared. So I couldn't get it."

Sanji let out a dry chuckle, harsh and cold. The rest of the crew stayed silent, looking at him to see what he was going to say.

"_'Couldn't get it'_?" The blonde almost laughed, but everyone knew he didn't find anything funny. "_Couldn't **get** it._" Sanji repeated. He looked back up at Zoro, anger evident in his face. "What are you doing on this ship, Zoro?" He asked, like it was a casual question one would ask a friend on a calm sunny day. "You're rude. You're obnoxious. You can't do anything but swing a damn blade around. You can't keep watch correctly. And now you're telling us you can't even defend your own _captain_?" This time the cook let the humorless laugh slide from his throat as he looked toward their captain. "I can see how he was stupid enough to even bother befriending someone as pathetic as you, he's made friends with lesser degenerates." Sanji pointed out. "But he must have started out as a real _desperate_ _lowlife_ to have the first member of his crew turn out to be so useless."

Zoro shot up from his spot and grabbed the blonde by the color of his white sleeping shirt. He jerked Sanji forward until they were barely a few inches apart. Zoro's bared teeth grit together painfully, knit brows tightly angled in furry. Sanji didn't flinch away, or break eye contact with his rival. Only pursed his lips in a tight frown as his eye twitched from the strain of not letting himself kick the swordsman in the stomach.

"Look, Sanji. If you want a fight, you've got one." The swordsman's voice was struggling to stay even and steady. "But leave Luffy out of it! You can mock me, and fight with me all you want. But if you ever- _ever-_ talk about him like that again..." The low bite in his tone went even lower. "I will sever the flesh from your damned body, and toss you to the mercy of the open sea." He growled, eyes piercing into Sanji like the blades of his swords at the offending words that were spoken.

Sanji wasn't scared of the swordsman. Never, during their acquaintanceship, had Zoro ever given an adequate reason to openly harbor fear for the man. However, right then, staring into the silver eyes that stared him down with intense malice, he was intimidated, to put it lightly. He had seen those eyes carry the most violent of all anger, but this was different. When fighting a regular enemy the battle was personal, because Zoro wanted to be the best at what he does. This was personal on a whole different level. His loyalty and admiration for their captain flared up in his rage, and Sanji made peace with the fact that he would have to back out of the argument this time.

Sanji simply nodded in understanding at the first mate's threat, and didn't fight back when Zoro growled again and shoved him away. As soon as Zoro let go of him, and sat back in his spot beside Luffy, Sanji was backing away from the two and standing with the rest of the crew by the door. They all remained quiet for a few moments, giving their friend a chance to calm down before they started talking again. Zoro took the time of silence to turn away from them and tilt the rim of Luffy's hat upward, out of his face. And when the conversation did start back up again, it was Robin who started it.

"So then, what are we going to do about this creature that has infiltrated our ship?" The woman asked, voice wondering and professional, while everyone else was too shocked at Zoro's overly enraged outburst to even speak. "I assume you are all aware that this remains to be an issue."

"R-R-Robin's right!" Usopp exclaimed, hiding behind the door to stay away from any potential danger. "W-we _can't_ just stand around, and wait for it to c-c-come back!"

"We should split up in groups." Sanji suggested, now recovered from the terrifying display Zoro had shown. "We can search the ship, and catch this thing before it destroys something." Sanji finished. He would have continued, to see what everyone else thought of the plan, but he stopped where he was, mouth hanging open and eyes widening as he watched their captain strive in sitting up.

Zoro stood immediately upon seeing Luffy waking up, knowing he would have to help him out, like the other night. He didn't hold him down this time though, only stood beside him awkwardly with his arms outstretched as if waiting to catch him if he fell. Luffy hissed at the wounds that stung and pulled as he sat up on the table. Clutching his stomach, he looked around with squinted, weary eyes at everyone in the room. A bright smile broke out across his face as he looked over their shocked, yet relieved faces. His lips parted to let out a dry, raspy voice that sent grimaces onto their faces, and shivers up their backs.

"Hay guys." Luffy chuckled, bringing his knees up to balance himself as his speech sent pain building up in his chest. But he kept smiling, not wanting to worry them all more than he already had. "Can I have some water? Dying of thirst over here."

Sanji nodded dumbly and quickly retrieved a cup of water for their parched friend. He brought it over to Luffy and helped him drink it, despite the captain's complaints of 'being able to do it himself'. All of the seriousness and anger from earlier had disappeared from Sanji as he chuckled at the way Luffy's fingers lapped over his own to tilt the cup back, greedily pouring more water into his mouth and down his throat.

"Easy now, Captain. There's more where that came from." Sanji laughed. The rest of the crew wanted to crowd around him, and coddle and sooth their dear friend's pain away, but they knew that wasn't a good choice. The stayed by the entrance, watching quietly as the other two stood around him with all the care he could possibly need.

When Luffy was done with the water, he let go of the cup and inhaled deeply to catch his breath. He smiled, moving his lips to say something, but only getting out a small whimper as he curled in on himself and rolled back into the blankets he'd been resting in for weeks. At this, chopper rushed over to the trio to inspect Luffy's wounds, making sure he didn't reopen any. He tried to check the injuries as easily as possible, but Luffy kept himself curled in on himself to where Chopper could only see the bandaged exit wound and cuts on his back. The doctor bit his lip and looked up to the two men standing around them.

"Zoro, Sanji, I need you to hold him still while I look over his laceration." Chopper stated. The two nodded at him then went to work at holding their captain down. Sanji snatched Luffy's thin arms that had been clutching at his stomach, then yanked them over the captain's head to be pinned against the table. Zoro grabbed his tiny ankles, pulling them down to also be forced against the blanketed wooden surface of the table.

Chopper sat on his knees beside Luffy's waist, quickly cutting through the bandages with the scissors he'd retrieved from the medical bag he had kept by the table. The bandages were tossed to the sides as the reindeer examined the wound. Luffy gnawed down on his lip to keep from whining at the pain running up his back, only letting out a whimper at the intense sting of his stretching cuts and bruises.

The room was enveloped in silence, minus the small grunts and whimpers of discomfort from their hurt friend. Chopper stared at the wound, confused for a moment. It was sure to have opened with all of Luffy's movement, but it was scabbed over and still closed up. That sludge they'd used earlier must have worked for the better. A feeling of great relief and happiness exploded from Chopper's gut, and a joyful smile broke out across the reindeer's face. Luffy was healing, but it would be wise to add more to the wound, to keep it clean and help it continue to cure.

"Nami." Chopper said, voice shaking a little at the happy turn out of the herbs reaction on their captain. "Can you get that bucket of herb mud from the fridge?" It was a demand in the form of a question, at which, Nami accepted. The redhead nodded and went to the fridge to get the bucket.

Luffy grit his teeth together, and squirmed around in his friends' holds. Zoro and Sanji weren't trying to hurt him, but the more he struggled, the more force they had to use to keep him down.

"Would you just hold still?!" Sanji hissed as the ravens wrist slipped out from under his grip. The cook then snatched Luffy's arm back down in a harsher motion then he'd meant to do, making the boy growl slightly at the pain.

"Just calm down, Luffy! Let Chopper fix your wounds, then we'll let you go!" Zoro said. Luffy drew in one of his pale knees into the air, and Zoro pinned it back down with a tug of the ankle.

"Tch! H-hurts!" Luffy exclaimed, tossing his head to the side and letting his black hair fall over his eyes.

"We know it does." Nami said weakly, placing the bucket on the table next to Chopper.

"But it'll only last a little bit. The calmer you are, the faster it'll be over." Sanji reasoned. "You're gunna be alright." Luffy opened his eyes a little, just narrowed slits, but enough to show Sanji the dark brown eyes that shown almost as black as his hair. Dark searching irises looked over the blonde's face for a sign of truth in the words. He already knew he was going to get through it. He just wanted to be sure that it was really going to end quickly if he didn't thrash and fight it. Sanji looked back down at him with finality and promise. In defeat, Luffy lay still for the rest of the self proclaimed torture, and didn't complain once as Chopper slopped a bunch of nasty gunk into his injuries. Infact, he didn't even complain when he was tugged up to a sitting position, leaning against his first mate's front for support. Chopper began wrapping the new roll of gaws around his wounds, and his dark shadowed eyes looked up to Zoro's face tiredly. He repositioned his chin, where it rested on the swordsman's shoulder, and tilted his face too gaze up at his hat that sat atop the greenette's head. A wide, toothy grin stretched across Luffy's face.

"Heh heh. Thanks for looking out for my hat." Luffy laughed, grin morphing into a regular smile.

"Any time, Captain." Zoro assured, giving a heartfelt, half smile back.

"Yeah..." The raven murmured, snaking his arm up around the swordsman's right shoulder as he rested the side of his head against the other. "Any time..." Luffy's breath evened out, and everyone watched as his tense, ridged muscles relaxed, as he fell asleep against Zoro's chest. One of the greenette's brows raised in curiosity at his captain's sudden quietness, then fell back down as he released a sigh. He lowered his head into the other's mess of ebony hair, chin propped up snugly on Luffy's head as he watched Chopper continue bandaging their friend's abdomen.

Usopp gave a mocking, yet strangely sincere '_Aww_', and Robin let a small giggle past her lips at the adoring sight of their captain falling asleep on the first mate. Zoro chose to ignore them as he let his fingers fiddle with the unruly strands of black hair at the back of Luffy's neck.

"Robin, can you grab my swords from the crows nest for me?" Zoro asked, looking out the window at the darkness and the fog. "I forgot them when I came down here earlier."

Robin hummed in understanding and crossed he arms in the shape on an 'X' over her chest in the form of her signature move. Soon enough his three swords were carried in through the door by a train of arms that sprouted from the floor like plants. Robin picked the weapons up from her unusual arms and brought them over to the table where their owner sat.

"Thanks." The swordsman grunted. He picked them up and struggled around the boy asleep in his lap to attach them to his hip, where they belonged. Then he went back to playing with Luffy's hair and looking out the window at the shady night sky. The rest of the crew just stood around awkwardly for a while, watching the rare display of subtle affection play out before them. Sanji loudly cleared his throat, in hopes of gaining Zoro's attention, but when that didn't work, he settled for just breaking the peace up front.

"Zoro." The cook said, gaining the man's attention. "You can put him down now."

"Not all patched up yet." The greenette stated simply, turning his head back away from the rest of them.

"Chopper's been done bandaging his wound for the past five minutes now." Sanji grunted with a snicker. Zoro's eyes widened a little as his face reddened a shade or two.

"Oh." He lifted his chin from Luffy's hair and stopped toying with the ends of the soft raven strands. "I...I was just making sure he was actually asleep before moving him. So he doesn't start whining and complaining again, that's all." Zoro stammered a bit over his words, obviously pulling the lame excuse strait out of his ass. He took the arm that was draped across his shoulder and moved it away from him. After picking his lithe captain up, out of his lap, he slowly lowered him down onto the makeshift bed beneath him. Then he sat back down in his place, beside the raven, on the table top.

Sanji stepped forward, setting the glass of water, he had been holding, down on an uncovered spot of wooden surface. He placed a hand on the corner of the table and leaned against it as he looked down at the raven teen. Zoro watched him with sharp, scrutinizing eyes. Every move Sanji made was like another step closer to Zoro's dwindling patience.

"He's alright." Sanji said, running his other hand through his hair in happy astonishment. "He woke up, and talked, and everything! He's okay!" He laughed, turning toward their other crewmates who all also wore wide smiles of relief. Then he turned back to his captain, smile turning to a full blown grin. "He's gunna be okay."

Subconsciously, Sanji lifted his unoccupied hand to Luffy's head, fingers just brushing through his soft black bangs. Zoro's arm snapped out, grabbing the cook's wrist with an agitated, firm grip. Sanji turned toward the swordsman, fighting back the glare that was itching to display itself for his rival. The first mate was silent. Not making a sound as he flicked the blonde's offending hand away from their sleeping friend. Sanji stepped away from the table, taken aback by Zoro's actions.

"The hell was that for?" Sanji asked. The frustration at the other made itself clear in his voice. Zoro looked up at him from the rim of Luffy's hat, expression locked in indifference. But he still said nothing. Words didn't need to be said though. All the explanation they needed was rigidly set in the swordsman's face. No one needed to be getting too excited yet. They still had a few problems to deal with. "Alright." Sanji said, scratching the back of his neck as he stuck his other hand in his pocket. "I get it. He's still hurt, and we don't need to be all over him just yet." Zoro nodded at Sanji, verifying that he was right.

"And, not to mention, we have a monster to catch." The first mate reminded, standing from the table and propping his arm on the hilts of his katanas. "One of you stay here to watch Luffy. We don't need him getting attacked while we're hunting this thing down." Nami, Usopp, and chopper's hands all shot up as volunteers for staying behind. Zoro sighed. "Chopper can stay. The rest of you come with me." Nami, and Usopp's heads hung low in disappointment.

...

After dividing up the crew, the searchers headed out to look for the stowaway creature. Chopper stood ay Luffy's bedside, transformed to the largest of his forms so that he could attack easily if the time came. Or, hopefully, just intimidate whatever wanted their captain away so he wouldn't have to fight it. He highly doubted that would happen though, considering it was described like a squashed, humanoid, insect looking thing, and if he saw it, he'd probably piss his pants. You really have to _try_ to be scared of a guy who wet himself.

But he had a job to do, and he was going to do it as best he possibly could. Even if he did end up peeing in the floor.

...

Zoro walked down the stairs to the storage layer of the ship, fallowed uncomfortably close by a terrified Usopp. The sharpshooter was almost clinging to the greenette as his brown overall covered legs shook in fear. Zoro ignored the scaredy-cat and scanned the area of crates and boxes that they would have to search around. A small rat skittered across the floor, and, with a shriek of terror, Usopp almost abandoned the search to run upstairs and accompany Chopper in the helm.

Not that Zoro would have minded. He thought the search would go along much quicker and less obnoxiously with the sniper taking his paranoid fears to the kitchen. But he didn't really care either way. Even if he had cared, it wouldn't have mattered, because Usopp remained behind him like a shaky leaf throughout the whole search.

...

Sanji and Nami looked around the middle layer of the ship. The boys' room and the girls' room. The redhead was a bit jumpy as they looked over the small spaces and corners that a stowaway could hide in. Sanji, on the other hand, was stone willed and ready to kick ass in a seconds notice if anything were to suddenly threaten the well being of his fair Nami. However, his composure was blatantly dropkicked down a flight of stairs and through the razor glass of an already broken window as they began searching into the girls' room. Almost instantaneously, Sanji was standing in front of one of the short dressers, pulling out the top drawer to reveal the stash of underwear that Robin had.

His face flushed bright red as he squinted down at his find and giggled like a drunken elf. This action caused the heal of Nami's bare foot to smash into the back of the blonde's head, sending his face into the wall on impact.

"Stop _feeling_ _up_ Robin's panties, and start _looking_ for this creature you gigantic _perv_!" The navigator exclaimed. Sanji hadn't even realized he'd dug his hands into the drawer until after he was kicked into the wall by a furious Nami.

"So very sorry, Nami." Sanji said, now serious again. He retracted his hands from the drawer and turned back to Nami, a small trail of blood leaking from his nose.

"Seriously! I can not believe you'd do this _now_ of all times!" The feisty girl shouted. She quickly realized she had been yelling and closed her mouth tightly. For all she knew, all the ruckus they'd just caused had drawn the attention of whatever creature was lurking the ship toward themselves. "I'll forgive you this once." Nami whispered harshly, glaring at the cook with milk chocolate eyes. "But if you so much as touch _anything_ else in this room, the price will be your legs!"

"Yes, Nami, my sweet!" Sanji whispered back lovingly.

...

Robin walked around the deck, peering through the mist to try and see if the intruder, they were searching for, was anywhere around. Lifting one arm towards the mast, arm after arm sprouted from the palm of her hand until there was a tower of arms reaching above her head. The last one grabbed the edge of the crows nest and the arms began dissipating, pulling Robin off of the floor of the deck and carrying her to the highest point of the ship. Bright, icy blue eyes gazed over the thick fog that covered the ship and she closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tres Fleur." She spoke quietly to herself. Thirteen florescent blue eyes, exactly the same as the ones attached to her, grew from the walls and looked around below on the deck to see what they could find. When she was confident she'd checked the entire upper portion of the ship, she lowered herself back down with her rope of newly sprung arms and headed to the helm to join Chopper at their captain's side.

...

Once the entirety of the crew was finished with their hunt, they grouped back up in the kitchen. They hadn't found the thing they'd been looking for, or even the slightest hint that it was even there. Some where beginning to think that Zoro had just been seeing things. After all, it was dark, and he hadn't had a proper nights sleep since the day Luffy was attacked. It was possible the shadows had been playing with his eyes and he ended up knocking all the shit off the counters on his own.

"It must have jumped overboard while we were busy." Zoro almost hissed in exasperation. Nami bit her lip a little and laid a hand on the first mate's shoulder.

"Zoro, I'm not saying that thing wasn't actually here," She stated, looking up at him in concern as he glared at the floor. "but maybe you should get some sleep. I doubt you've gotten more than an hour in since Coy Island." Nami finished, making him clench his teeth at the mention of the hellish island where their captain had been attacked.

"I'm fine." The greenette said, shrugging away from Nami's hand and walking to sit at the table, back to the wall. "You can all go back to bed. I'll keep an eye on the captain."

"She's right, Zoro." Sanji said, tucking his hands away in his pockets to resist the urge to light up a smoke. "You need to rest. I can stay up with him, if it really bothers you that much."

"I said I'm fine." They all looked to the swordsman with slight worry, but Sanji only narrowed his curly brow, then sighed in defeat.

"If you're sure." The blonde said, turning around to leave the helm. "I'm going back to bed then." Robin, Nami, and Usopp nodded their goodbye and fallowed the cook out the door. Chopper was left standing there, looking at his two friends. One physically exhausted, and the other mentally.

"Make sure it doesn't come back." Chopper requested shyly. Zoro nodded and chopper smiled before scuttling out the door and down the stairs after the others. The greenette crossed his arms on the table and laid his chin down on them. His heavy eyes stayed focused on Luffy from under the rim of the younger's worn straw hat. And he stayed there, like that, until the sun began to rise, and his silver eyes drifted closed in surrender to sleep's demanding call.

...

The rest of the day went on uneventfully. Yet more exciting then usual. Everyone sat around doing their own thing. Usopp was busy working on some silly gadget out on the deck. Nami was charting out the island they were on while Robin sat beside her, reading her book. Sanji was working in the kitchen, making drinks and delicious treats for the ladies after helping Chopper rebadge Luffy's wound with the sludge they'd made the night before.

No one had bothered waking Zoro, knowing he needed the well deserved sleep. He woke up on his own around lunch time when Luffy regained consciousness, wanting something to drink. After a few gulps of water, he went back to sleep, but Zoro remained awake, now fully woken from his nap. Luffy woke up twice more for water, but passed out again once the liquid was down his throat. This was the first time in a while that he'd been awake for so long in one day, and they all took it as a sign of him getting better.

Later in the evening the temperature began to cool, and the crew decided to take the grill to the shore and enjoy the normal flash of weather, in contrast to the heat stroke causing, volcanic waves of heat that bore down on the island. Sanji made steak, and shish kabobed vegetables and fish. Usopp and Chopper built a small bonfire, occupying themselves with placing stones around it to keep the flames in check. Nami and Robin talked about another book the raven woman had been reading that had to do with topography. Even Zoro had come down from the ship, sitting against a tree with the rim of Luffy's hat pushed down to hide his eyes from the glare of the sun. He watched for a half hour, seeing the colors of the sky and his surroundings darken in shade as the sun began to set. He listened to the chatter and bickering of his friends as they talked on about Robin's book, or began insulting each other for setting a rock in the wrong spot around the fire, or gushing over the girls like they were pure bread royalty. His breath began to even out as Sanji finished cooking.

"Nami, Robin, darlings! I've finished the meal for you, my dear angles!" He put all the meat and vegies on a large plate and carried it to the wide chunks of tree trunk that Zoro had cut up for them all to sit on around the fire. But Zoro didn't get up. He wasn't very hungry. In fact, he was just about asleep when suddenly all of the noise stopped and the only sound remaining was the faint crackling of the fire.

"Oh my god, Luffy!" Nami shouted, absolute panic dominating her tone. Zoro's eyes snapped open immediately and he stood from his place in the sand to see what was happening. Luffy stood at the end of the ramp that connected the deck of the ship to the beach. His arms clutches his stomach and his body shook as he breathed heavily.

"Luffy, are you okay?!" Chopper shouted, about to rush over to his side and take him back up to the helm. From across the beach, they could see their captain clutch harder at his stomach, then throw his head back in a crazed, deprived scream.

**"_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!_" **Everyone watched with wide eyes as their injured friend ran through the sand and all but tackled Sanji to get to the tray of food he held. Realizing that there was no possible way he was going to keep the food away from his captain, Sanji allowed the boy to take the tray down to the sand and begin tearing it apart like an animal. They all watched in awe as Luffy sat on his knees, shoving steaks, one after another, into his mouth. He barely even chewed it before swallowing the meat down. In a few seconds the tray was half empty and all anyone could decipher from Luffy's savage growls of rapid consumption were, "_More!"_ And with that, Sanji grinned and looked to Usopp and Chopper.

"You heard the captain! Bring more meat!" The cook shouted. They all smiled in pure glee and relief at what was going on. Their friend was getting better, and now they were going to celebrate.

Minutes later Luffy lay anxiously on the beach, fingers and toes clenching and unclenching in the sand to keep himself calm. When the other two came back with three boxes full of meat from the freezer storage Robin had to keep Luffy restrained so he wouldn't eat all of the food raw and frozen. Chicken, fish, beef, and pork were all thrown onto the grill and cooked up quickly and professionally by the best cook in the East Blue.

As Luffy continued to scarf down whatever was thrown at him Chopper and Usopp had to make multiple trips to the freezer to grab more crates of food. By the time the raven teen was full he had eaten half of their food stalk. No one could really bring themselves to care about that at the moment though. They were all to happy that their friend was up and acting like his normal self.

Instead of going back to his injured state, Luffy stood from the sand and grinned widely at everyone. The sun was now fully set and the fire lit the beach ablaze with all the light they needed. The rest of the crew ate and a few danced around the fire with their captain, who seemed to be fine, for someone with a gaping wound in his side. They all wondered how he could be up and so energetic like this. But as the noirette, they'd watched suffer and fight through a nearly fatal injury, laughed and danced about like a lunatic, they threw all skepticism to the bonfire. They planed to enjoy the night with their captain, and would simply check his wounds later to make sure they weren't too badly compromised.

...

After hours of eating their fill and gallivanting around the fire, singing and cheering together, the crew had begun to calm down. Usopp still danced around the fire, throwing in stray sticks and twigs that he'd found around in the sand. Robin still sat reading, having not gotten up through the small party. Nami, who was asleep, had her redhead resting against Robin's shoulder. Chopper, who was also asleep, laid curled up in Nami's lap, pink hatted head pillowed against the navigator's thin belly.

Sanji had been up dancing around Nami, trying to get her attention the whole time their little celebration had been going on. He now sat on one of the chunks of tree around the fire, watching as his friends slept, and read, and walked around throwing stuff into the flames. Zoro had only gotten up once since the merriment began, and that was to go into the ship to retrieve some rum from the helm. On his way back out onto the beach he was forced into joining everyone else's 'fun' with a command from the captain. Now the greenette sat, again, in his spot. This time with Luffy fast asleep, head slumped against the swordsman's thigh.

Sanji glanced over at the two who sat farther away from the bonfire. They were in the shadows, but the glow of the flames shown them out, adding an orangeish yellow tint that the fire's light caused to things in the dark. Zoro was taking a swig from the bottle of alcohol in his grip, with the fingers of his other hand tangled in Luffy's pitch noir hair. Sanji sighed out a breath of smoke, then flicked what was left of his cigarette into the sand. He hoisted himself from his seat to walk over to them, having something to say that'd been bugging him for the majority of the day.

Zoro's eyes narrowed up at the cook as he came closer to their spot. Luffy's hat still sat on his head, giving his silver gaze that look of increased strength that it seemed to grant to those who wore it. Sanji stopped a step away from the two, meeting the first mate's eyes before looking over at his captain. Then he snapped his head to his left to look down at the sand.

"Listen..." Sanji started, bringing a hand from his pockets to scratch at his head. "I... apologize... for what I said earlier." He stuck his hand back in his pocket, and shifted his weight to the other foot, eyes roaming anywhere else but the two in front of him. "I was out of line. It's _that_ idiot's job to decide who belongs on this ship, and who doesn't." The blonde gestured to Luffy. "Not mine." Zoro chuckled.

"I couldn't give two shits about what you say about me." The greenette stated, taking another drink from the bottle in his hand. "What I want to hear is an apology to him." He demanded, motioning his drink towards the boy asleep beside him. Sanji looked down at the youngest of the three, who slept soundly with his face smooshed slightly against Zoro's leg, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Sanji clenched his teeth, having already swallowed his pride enough to say sorry to his rival. Two apologies in one night was just a little too much for him. But he understood that it was the right thing to do, so he swallowed his pride again, and crouched down in front of the noirette. Zoro watched expectantly, but Sanji's focus was on Luffy's sleeping face.

"I'm sorry, Luffy. You're our captain, and I shouldn't have said those things about you." The cook said. "You're a good captain, and a great friend." Zoro nodded his head in approval, and went back to drinking his liquor. Sanji sighed again, letting himself fall to the sand on his rear. He took his hands out of his pockets to let his arms rest, propped up on his knees. The blonde wondered why the greenette had been so irritated by the little insult toward their captain earlier that day. Luffy had been asleep when it was said, so there was nothing to take offence to. And he'd been asleep when Sanji had apologized, so there wasn't anything to forgive. Even if Luffy had been aware of the not so nice things Sanji had said about him, he doubted that their easy going captain would mind. Actually, Luffy would have probably laughed it off and forgotten about it within a minute or two after it had been said.

So why did Zoro care so much?

Sanji watched as the first mate discarded the now empty glass bottle of rum into the sand. Then he picked up one of the three beside him that had yet to have been opened, starting on it like he hadn't had anything to drink in a week. They sat in silence, the only sounds were the wind that flew by them, rattling the trees in the forest behind them to make a calming hiss call from the leaves. Usopp's tired chanting and singing were heard faintly from over by the fire, and the soft, quiet snores that easily passed their raven captain's lips. When Zoro was done chugging down half the bottle he lowered it away from his mouth, and looked at Sanji.

"Was there something else you wanted, or are you just board?" Zoro asked. He didn't really care what the cook's deal was. It was just creeping him out that the dartboard brow was simply sitting there, looking at him and Luffy like a puzzle that he couldn't figure out. "If you've got nothing better to do then sit there and stair at us, then you can wake up the others and get them inside the ship, before they get sick."

"Actually, Zoro, I was wondering..." Sanji said, wiggling a bit in his place to get to a more comfortable spot. "Why _are_ you on this ship?" He asked, letting his gaze wonder to the branches above them, as he held his chin in thought. Zoro only narrowed his brows a little in irritation. "I already know how everyone else came aboard." Sanji went on, explaining himself and his questioning. "My beloved, Nami, first came aboard as an acquaintance. Then she ran away, only to return to the crew as an irreplaceable friend after Luffy defeated Arlong, and returned to her the freedom she'd lost as a child. Usopp joined the crew after his village was attacked by a big shot pirate who tried to murder his friend, Lady Kaya. Luffy took him down, along with the entirety of the man's crew, and gained the Going Marry." The cook paused for a brief moment before carrying on. "I was dragged aboard after he chassed off Don Krieg, and his scum of a crew. Luffy saved the old man's dream, and offered to take me along with him, to fulfill mine. I tried to say no to him, but didn't we all?" He chuckled. "Then, after Vivi joined in, we found Chopper. He came along with us after Luffy defended his ideals, when he didn't have the courage to, and protected the flag that the little guy treasured so much. Also, he beat the absolute shit out of the king there. No matter where we go, we always end up in some kind of trouble because of Luffy's fist-first philosophy." He chuckled again. "Then we dropped off Vivi in Alibasta, and met Robin." At that point he paused to take a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. He placed it between his lips, and took a drag of tobacco before letting it out in a long sigh. Zoro listened half heartedly, curious, but not completely interested, at what the cook was trying to get at. "How he managed to befriend the right-hand woman of the Warlord, Crocodile, I have no idea, but, to be honest, I don't know how he manages to do a fourth of the things he does. Anyway, Robin was ready to die, but Luffy forced her to live, and took her in when she had nowhere else to go. He ended Crocodile's rain, and saved so many others in the process." Sanji took another drag from his cigarette, and let the smoke leave his lungs to dance into the wind, away to the abyss that was the darkness of the night sky. "I've watched this crew grow, heard the stories of the ones who joined before me." There was a shine in his uncovered, blue eye. A shine of interest, and inquisitiveness. Sanji leaned back, shifting the majority of his upper weight on the hand he'd placed behind himself in the sand. "All except yours. You were the first to join him, right? But you'd had it all going for yourself. The Demon of the East. You were feared, and respected, notorious for your distaste in pirates. Not to mention you're stubborn, and almost as hard headed as Luffy. So what happened? How'd he end up roping you into this voyage?"

Zoro moved his hand from it's previous place, buried in Luffy's ebony hair, and crossed his arms over his chest. Sanji watched as the swordsman seemed to be thinking of an answer. Both of their attention was grabbed away though when their noirette friend shifted, tucking an arm under Zoro's leg, and sliding the other up to rub at the scar on his face in his sleep. He snuggled into the first mate even farther, and let out a content sigh. Letting his fingers linger near his face, slightly clutching to Zoro's pants. The greenette half smiled down at him.

"He saved my life."

"Well, who's life around here _hasn't_ he saved?" Sanji asked sarcastically. He had laughter in his voice, but he was still trying to let the swordsman know that he was taking this seriously.

"Yeah, but... this was different."

"A little more specific, please?" The blonde said, growing a little irritated at Zoro's answer that weren't really answering anything.

"Do you want me to tell this story, or not?"

"No, sorry. Go on." Sanji encouraged him to continue. Zoro cleared his throat in a cough, and went back to the tale of how he'd met their friend.

"It's true that the members of his crew, no matter how we patronize and underestimate him at times, will owe him our lives in the end. Including me." Zoro started. He closed his silvery eyes, and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree behind him. It helped him focus as he tried putting together the right words that he wanted to best prove his view on the matter. "We are all on this crew because he saw something in each one of us that he thought was worth value. He knew Nami was a navigator, so he had her join. He saw a loyal friend in Usopp, and told him to come along with us as we left his island. He did the same with Robin. He saw your abilities as a cook, and offered you the life of a crewmember. And he recognized the skill of a doctor that Chopper possessed. Knowing we needed a medical expert along with us, he recruited the little guy." The swordsman finished with a sigh, letting his hand return to petting through Luffy's black messy hair. "All of you, at one point, asked for his help; needed his strength to run free from whatever problem it was that held you down. And, because you asked, he gave you his protection, and fought with all he had to save you." Sanji nodded, listening intently, but still wondering when this was going to get to the point.

"Yeah. We all had some shitty problems, and he busted us out of them. That's just how it goes." Sanji smirked down at their captain. "Always running at our beck and call."

"Mm-hm." Zoro hummed knowingly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "Except I wasn't calling." Sanji arched his curly brow in confusion. "You all asked for him to save you, in one way or another, but I never asked for that. You all had a reason to be brought into the crew. Whether it was your talents, or skills, you all gave him a reason to want you. A reason to make a place for you in this family. I didn't." Zoro chuckled dryly. "All I had to offer was the name of a bounty hunter, and the sight of a weak man tied to a cross." Sanji didn't really know what that meant, but at least they were getting somewhere.

"Tied to a cross?" The cook asked. Zoro laughed.

"Yep. Some bastard rich kid with a powerful father was letting his mutt of a wolf terrorize the town. I was trying to eat and the damn thing barged into the bar, tearing everything up and scaring the crap out of the people there. No one spoke up to stop him, because he was a big deal, I guess. I killed the wolf, and ended up making a deal with the kid. Instead of going to prison for life, I'd have to spend a full month tied up. No food, no water, nothing. If I survived, I could go free. Of course, I took the challenge and landed my ass in a courtyard, bound to that cross." The greenette explained waving his hand around like it was helping his rival see what he lived through. Sanji watched, nodding once in a while to show he understood. "I lasted a while. Had ten days left. Then one day I'm looking at the wall blocking me from the rest of the town, because I've really got nothing better to do. The sun's beating down on me like some angry god, and I haven't had a scrap of food in weeks. Then, just over the top of the fence, I see these two kids peeking over at me, arguing about something. Then this little girl hops over the fence and runs up to me with these rice balls. Told me they were a thank you for saving her and her mom from the wolf. I told her to leave but she was caught by the guards and thrown out."

"You ate them, didn't you?" Sanji interrupted, anxious at even the thought of good food going to waste.

"Well, yeah, I ate them, but not until after the girl was thrown out and they were stomped into the dirt."

"Wait, how'd you get them off the ground if you were tied to a cross?"

"If you'd shut your trap, I'd tell you." Zoro shot back.

"Right. Keep going." Sanji ushered the younger to continue.

"Okay, so, the girl is thrown out. Food squished in the dirt. After a few snide comments from the arrogant brat, he left with his marine followers, or guards, or whatever they were. Then my attention went back to the wall. One of the kids had jumped it and was standing a few meters in front of me. The other was gone." The first mate went on. "I yelled at him to get lost, but he only stood there, looking at me like I was some endangered, exotic animal in a cage. Giving me this look of blunt curiosity. You know? Like he had no idea I was tied up in a restricted marine yard. Real innocent looking guy, with his shorts, and straw hat, and the little out of place scar under his eye." Sanji tried suppressing a laugh only to fail, making Zoro laugh a little too at his description of their captain. How it was just like Luffy to simply walk up to a dangerous convict with wide eyed wonder and act like they were just another average person you happened to pass on the road. "Yeah. I remember, the first thing he ever said to me was _'I'm looking for someone to join my pirate fleet.'_ I also remember flat out rejecting him, and criticizing him about it. He stood up for himself, obviously. I asked if he was going to free me, and force me into his crew." Zoro smirked, taking another drink of alcohol. Then he laughed as he whipped his lips with the back of his hand. " He said he hadn't made up his mind. He wasn't sure because he'd heard that I was a bad guy. Then I talked more shit and told him to go find someone else. But you know how that goes." The greenette rolled his eyes. Sanji hummed in understanding.

"So he was persistent, as always, and refused to leave you at peace?"

"Well, not exactly. He did leave..._after feeding me the food on the ground- _And came back later to bust me out." Zoro stated, mumbling the part about being fed the muddy rice off the ground.

"Wait a minute." Sanji chuckled, leaning forward with a grin. "He left after doing _what_?"

"Shut up." Zoro grunted, knowing the blond had heard him well enough. Sanji just kept laughing at the slightly embarrassed look on the first mate's face. "Anyway. He came back later. Tried making a deal with me. I said no, but he told me he'd made up his mind, and I was going to join him whether I liked it or not, basically."

"Then he got you out, and gained the first member of his crew." Sanji said, like he'd been there and witnessed it himself. "How is this any different then how the rest of us were picked up?"

"All of you, at one point or another, needed his help. And, for the majority of you, he'd already befriended you, and would be willing to fight for you all if you'd asked." Zoro explained. "But we weren't friends. I didn't ask for his help. Hell, I didn't even know I needed saving until it was almost too late."

"But you only had ten days left. What'd you need saved from?" The blonde asked

"The little bastard that got me tied up in the first place. He was planning on executing me the next day. I guess Luffy heard him talking about it and decided he didn't agree with that idea. So he punched the kid on my behalf and went back to the marines base. I don't know if it was to spare me the embarrassment of knowing I fell into a trap, or if it's just how he operates, but instead of telling me I was tricked and was going to be executed, he tried to talk me into going with him again. Told me if he got my katanas back for me I'd have to join him. Then he barged into the base and brought me back my katanas. After he shielded me from at least seven bullets I agreed to join him, and I've been with him ever since." Sanji stayed quiet, waiting for Zoro to finish before asking any questions he might have. "So while all of you were chosen, and picked for what you can do, or saved from whatever circumstances you'd been involved in, I was just some rumored monster that the future King of the Pirates just happened to take pity on."

"Oh."

"You can call me a degenerate. You can call me any damn name under the sun for all I care." Zoro said, tipping up the rim of Luffy's hat as he went on. "But when you say he was a pathetic, desperate lowlife, you truly can't get any farther from the truth. Because he saved my life that day. I don't like to admit it, but if it wasn't for Luffy, I wouldn't be alive right now. And that's a hell of a lot more then what I can say for anyone else that's ever been in my life. And he didn't even know me. He was only passing through for the day." The swordsman laughed lightly, gazing down at his sleeping savior. "He didn't have to save me. He had no obligation to save the life of a lowly bounty hunter. But here I am, alive and kicking. And I will always owe him for that."

They were left in silence. The faint crackling of the fire kept at it's constant melody but now everyone besides themselves was asleep, and the cook was beginning to grow drowsy.

"We should get everyone inside the ship." Sanji pointed out, breaking the calm quietness that they had been locked in. Zoro nodded his head in agreement and Sanji stood, brushing the sand from his pants as he did so. He looked down at the captain and first mate to see Zoro struggling to find a way to untangle Luffy from his leg without bothering the raven. Sanji snickered and crouched down in front of their captain who slept peacefully in the sand. "Luffy." Sanji said quietly, shaking the boy's shoulder just rough enough to wake someone up. "Luffy, it's time to go inside."

Deep, almost ebony, blackish eyes peeked open to see what his blond friend was wanting from him. He mumbled something tiredly that Zoro, nor Sanji could clarify, but then he lifted his head an inch from Zoro's leg and looked up at Sanji.

"What is it Sanji? I was sleeping."

"I know you were, but it's time to go in now. You can go back to sleep as soon as we're in the helm, alright?" Sanji said, voice gentle and reasoning. Luffy nodded, and groggily released Zoro's thigh in order to lean up and fall against Sanji's chest, arms wrapping around his neck, causing Sanji's visible ocean blue eye to widen in surprise.

"Okay." Luffy said, almost pushing Sanji back into the sand. "Carry me. I'm too tired to use my legs."

"Fair enough." Sanji stated, placing one arm around his captain's back and scooping up his scrawny legs with the other; holding him securely against himself. The blonde stood up again looking down at Zoro who glared up at him like a dog that just got it's favorite toy taken away. "Jealous?" The blonde smirked.

"No."

"I think you are."

"Yeah?" Zoro began in an asking tone, standing from the sand and dusting himself off. "Well I think you're just dumb."

"Right." Sanji sighed, rolling his eyes. He held out their captain towards Zoro, and dumped the small boy into the first mate's arms as carefully as he could. Luffy maybe acting better, but his wounds were still bad, and they couldn't afford to be getting any worse. "Take him. I was just helping you get him off. I'm gunna go help the ladies. After you put Luffy to bed you can get Usopp and Chopper." Before they could even argue about it Sanji was already walking away to go sweet talk the girls awake and take them to their room. Zoro only grunted in annoyance. He looked down at the sleeping bundle of pirate in his arms and his grimace of irritation turned to a small, pleasant half smile. Then he began walking toward the ship, cradling his tuckered out captain to his chest as he went.

...

After tucking Luffy in, and bringing Usopp and Chopper in from the beach, the swordsman went back to his spot at his best friend's bedside. All was quiet and calm. The night was fresh instead of damp and sickeningly humid, and the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore riddled with Luffy's steady breaths gave peace of mind to the first mate. He was feeling a bit antsy that they weren't able to re bandage Luffy's wounds tonight, but Chopper was too exhausted, and Zoro didn't trust himself enough to do it by himself. So it was forced to wait until morning.

The greenette was so lost in his thoughts and memories that he didn't notice the door to the helm creaking open. Sanji walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb the two, but still having something to say. It was something Zoro had said earlier, and it was graining on Sanji's mind.

"Hay, Zoro." The blonde called. This had been the longest that the two had gone in one day without fighting. He guessed they were working on a new record.

"Hmm?" Zoro grunted in question, wanting to know what Sanji wanted, but still too tired to really care.

"I just wanted to say that I don't think he saved you out of pity." The cook stated, leaning against the doorframe. "I think he saw something in you too, like he sees in all of us. Something of value that he found was worth saving." Zoro was now looking at his rival with a look of confusion and understanding. Like he knew what was being said, but it was taking time to process correctly in his mind. "I just thought I'd tell you what I think. Night, Mosshead." Sanji snickered as he exited the helm and walked down the stairs to find the hatch that lead down to the boy's room. The door was closed and so was their discussion. Zoro stared a moment at the door, but wasn't really staring at it at all as he let the words previously spoken to him sink in. Then he smiled.

"Night, Dartboard brow." Then he laid his head in his arms, shifting a little in his seat. He didn't think too much on the chills that ran up his arm as his knuckles accidently brushed over the skin of Luffy's hand. He only kept smiling at the thought of the day he'd met his best friend. How stupid he probably looked all tied up to that damned cross. What could have happened if Luffy hadn't shown up to that island at all. And mostly about the possibility that his simple minded, yet wise captain had seen something in him that no one else had ever been able to see in his entire lifetime. Something worth value. Something worth caring for.

He drifted to sleep with that smile dancing across his lips at the memories, and the adventures he'd made with his crew mates. His friends. His _family_ that Luffy had wrangled together over the year. Zoro had never really had a home before. Places to live. Places he stayed for short or extended periods of time, but never a home. But in this ship, with this crew, Zoro could say he had a home. A place where he belonged. And Luffy had given him that.

Before he fell to the slumber of the night, Zoro let lose a content sigh, and whispered quietly to his captain. "Night, Luffy. And thank you... for everything." And thought his words fell on deft ears, he felt at ease, and at rest for the first time in a while.


End file.
